May 21, 2018
In about a week, Caroline Fish will cross the commencement stage in Carnesecca Arena, receive her hood from Dean Michael A. Simons, and become one of the newest members of the St. John’s Law alumni community. Her next steps, after sitting for the New York Bar Exam, will take her to the global law firm DLA Piper, where she’ll spend a year working exclusively on pro bono matters as one of two first-year associates selected for the firm’s Krantz Fellowship Program.
Launched in 2011, the Krantz Fellowship is named for Sheldon Krantz, a former DLA Piper litigation partner and champion of pro bono. After completing a competitive application process, the two fellows are assigned to work on domestic pro bono signature projects, or to split their time between domestic projects and New Perimeter, the firm’s global pro bono initiative. By pay and position, they are first-year associates and, after their fellowship is done, they go on to work at DLA Piper as second-year associates.
Although she doesn’t have her fellowship assignments yet, Fish looks forward to the opportunity to address domestic violence, promote juvenile justice, and combat human trafficking, work she’s been committed to since college. “At my university, I was very involved as a student leader in advocating against interpersonal violence and sexual assault on campus,” she says. After graduating, Fish served with AmeriCorps, helping at-risk youth and volunteering on a domestic violence crisis hotline. She then went to social work school, where she studied at the intersection of international development and global issues, focusing on human trafficking.
“While earning my MSW, I interned with a safe house for juvenile survivors of sex trafficking and with the Human Trafficking Coordinator for the Eastern District of Missouri, helping on federal trafficking prosecutions,” Fish says. “My internships gave me hands-on experience in the fight against human trafficking. That led to a full-time job in New York City with Girls Educational and Mentoring Services, advocating for child survivors of sexual exploitation who were involved in family court proceedings. Being in the courtroom advocating for these children inspired me to apply to law school.”
St. John’s Law proved to be an excellent fit for Fish. She thrived academically as a member of the St. John’s Law Review, a Center for International and Comparative Law Fellow, and one of the Law School’s International Honors Program Scholars. She also spent a semester interning at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. Her award-winning scholarly writing appears in the St. John’s Law Review, the New York International Law Review, and the National Law Review.
Fish first got a feel for DLA Piper’s pro bono culture last summer, when she worked full time for eight weeks as the Pro Bono Intern for Continental Europe in the firm’s Paris office. “It was an incredible opportunity,” she says, “particularly seeing how so many DLA Piper lawyers, who have a lot on their plates, still make the time to help others around the world through pro bono.”
While giving back to others as a Krantz Fellow is a dream come true, Fish admits that she didn’t always see herself as a “Big Law” attorney. “When I decided to start my career at a large firm, I wondered how I, a former social worker, would be a compelling candidate,” she explains. “I thought that firms would see my past experiences in public service as incompatible with their work. I realized I was wrong when I interviewed at DLA Piper and learned about their commitment to pro bono initiatives alongside all their other work. They’re focused on being great lawyers in everything they do, and I can’t wait to be part of that, both as a Krantz Fellow and as one of DLA Piper’s newest associates.”
The excitement is mutual. “Caroline brings a wealth of life and professional experience serving the greater good to her work as a Krantz Fellow,” says Richard F. Hans '93, managing partner of DLA Piper’s New York Office. “I know she’ll thrive in this new role and help our firm fulfill its commitment to helping the underserved and voiceless throughout the world. It’s a commitment that very much aligns with St. John’s Vincentian mission, and with our Law School’s proud tradition of educating attorneys who give of themselves to help others in need.”